seriously romantic: hard stick by l.p. dover

i'm such a sucker for a sports romance, but hard stick is more than that. it's got a surprising suspense/thriller element to it given the lead character's circumstances. kristin robinson has to escape a bad ex-boyfriend. she knows she's in a bad situation but there's no way to escape. the only way is to fake her death and take on a new identity. 

when she meets kellan carter she thinks he's just another playboy athlete. but the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes that first impressions aren't always accurate. but trusting someone new is hard. and even though she hopes her past is dead and buried, she can't stop looking over her shoulder. 

the thing is her past and kellan's present aren't all that far from each other. given his position as a public figure and who his family is, there's simply no way to plan for the kind of danger she is in. but the relationship that they have built, the strong bonds and connection that exists between them can carry them through this. all they need to do is keep faith. 

this is the first book in the breakaway series, and i'm sure we'll get to spend more time with kellan's teammates in the future. i'm definitely intrigued and can't wait to see where the series goes next.

**hard stick will publish on june 13, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/random house publishing group (loveswept) in exchange for my honest review.